Master of Arts in Teaching: 
Bilingual/Bicultural Education

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Master of Arts in Teaching:  Bilingual/Bicultural Education is designed to reflect a multicultural/multilinguistic focus and encourages candidates who already hold a non-education undergraduate degree to pursue an elementary teaching certificate and Bilingual Approval while attaining a master's degree.

This program has three components of coursework:

• Professional core of eighteen (18) credit hours in the area of multicultural education, media technology, assessment, literacy theory and pedagogy, general curriculum development, and research.

 
• Concentration of eighteen (18) credit hours in bilingual/bicultural education leading to bilingual approval.

 
• Certification coursework consisting of additional pedagogical study, special education and field experiences, including 100 clock hours of clinical experience and student teaching internship, totaling 15 credit hours.

For an admission application package, contact the Graduate College at 773-442-6001.

Students may apply to the program for these awards which are available on a limited basis to qualified students.

Undergraduate Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university or college.

A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 (4.0 scale).

18 credit hours of undergraduate coursework in any one of the following areas of concentration:
         social/behavioral sciences, natural sciences, humanities, or other related         disciplines.

Six credit hours in the history and philosophy of education and educational psychology
        (learning and development) (EDFN 405 and 406, or equivalent).
 
 

A maximum of nine credit hours of graduate level coursework may be transferred into the program, based upon the evaluation of the coursework being equivalent in scope and content to required program coursework, in accordance with the policies established by the Graduate College.

Program courses are offered in a three year cycle.  With the exception of clinical experiences and the student teaching internship, coursework is available in the evenings on Mondays through Thursdays, and occasionally on Saturday mornings.

Students seeking teacher certification are required to pass the State of Illinois Basic Skills and Subject Matter Knowledge Tests.  All program students must also complete the Illinois State Board of Education Language Proficiency Examination prior to program completion.  The Assessment of Professional Teaching Exam (APT) is also needed for employment.  Consult with Program Coordinator/Program Advisor for more information.

The ISBE has established general education requirements for teaching certification.  Most students will have completed this coursework in their undergraduate studies prior to applying for the MAT Program.  During the application process, students' transcripts will be reviewed for evidence that these requirements have been met.  However, some coursework may still need to be completed.  Below is a description of these requirements.

53 credit hours of general education coursework is required.  This includes:

Six hours of written communication, three hours of oral communication, six hours of math, twelve hours of biological and physical sciences (including one lab course), courses in English, U.S. History, American Government, a non-Western/Third World course, and coursework in health and physical development.

In addition, an area of concentration, totaling eighteen credit hours, including a minimum of nine semester hours of upper division coursework is required in one of these areas:

    Mathematics and Science
    Humanities
    Social Science